GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A 39-year-old woman from Kalamazoo is facing nine years in federal prison, after a Chief U.S District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou sentenced her for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Candi Taylor was accused of carrying a large quantity of fentanyl, which she allegedly planned to pass from one higher-level dealer to another, according to a press release from U.S Attorney Mark Totten. She was sentenced on Friday.
Taylor was arrested on March 2, 2022, after an investigation by a local Kalamazoo narcotics task force.
The Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team had been looking into Taylor's possible involvement with fentanyl distribution in and around Kalamazoo. After getting a warrant, KVET searched Taylor's residence and car, as well as her father's residence, which authorities suspected was being used as a stash house.
When KVET carried out the search warrant, they say Taylor was found in her car, in her driveway, holding in her hand a baggie of stuffed with about ten grams of fentanyl. Authorities say two more baggies, filled with over 100 grams of fetanyl, were located in Taylor's coat pocket.
Authorities say they uncovered another 1,400 grams of fentanyl after a search of Taylor's father's house, where the fentanyl was kept in a locked toolbox before allegedly being transferred to a larger-scale dealer.
Taylor pled guilty the charge of possession with intent to distribute fetanyl, said U.S Attorney Mark Totten.
When Judge Jarbou read Taylor's sentence, she acknowledged that Taylor was, for the most part, a street-level dealer who made a "huge mistake" and took a "huge gamble" to transport 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl in between dealers.
However, Judge Jarbou also noted that persons who do transport for larger-scale dealers must still face consequences. She also recognized Taylor's prior convictions when imposing the sentence.
“The poisoning of our community by drug dealers pushing fentanyl into the hands of Kalamazoo residents is devastating,” said Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Acting Chief David Boysen. “The end user, their family, and the community bear the burdens of the drug dealer’s desire for material gains. Today’s sentence is clear evidence that the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety will, through targeted enforcement, work tirelessly to stop drug dealers from destroying lives” added Boysen.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, a narcotics task force operating in Kalamazoo County. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel S. Fauson.
